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Court Sittings
41. Andy Burnham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action the Lord Chancellor's Department will take to facilitate the extension of court sitting hours in selected areas to deal with street crime; and if she will make a statement. [57421]
Yvette Cooper: Extended court hours are currently being piloted in certain Magistrates courts in areas of high street crime, in London and Manchester. On completion of the four month pilot period at the end of September we will assess whether such an approach is a cost-effective means of reducing delays and best serves the needs of victims and witnesses, and in the light of that assessment will consider its possible extension to other criminal courts.
Court Reform
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, (1) pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2002, Official Report, column 414W, if she will make a further statement on her plans to reform (a) criminal and (b) magistrates court; [60191]
- (2) what plans she has to introduce a White Paper on the reform of (a) criminal and (b) magistrates courts; when she intends to publish that White Paper; and if she will make a statement. [60192]
Yvette Cooper: Sir Robin Auld's Review of the Criminal Courts in England and Wales makes wide- ranging recommendations. The period for comment closed on 31 January. The Government have taken no decisions on the report and are now considering the recommendations in detail, taking account of the
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comments received. The Government will announce their conclusions by way of a White Paper before the summer recess.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations she has had from (a) magistrates and (b) magistrates courts committees, following her review of the criminal and magistrates courts system; and if she will a statement. [60193]
Yvette Cooper: We have received nearly 500 responses. On behalf of (a) magistrates, we have received responses from over 60 individuals who identified themselves as magistrates; and (b) of the 42 magistrates courts committee areas representations have been received from 37 areas.
Committee Mandates
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the mandate of the Committee on the service in the member states of judicial and extrajudicial documents and on co-operation between the courts of the member states in the taking of evidence in civil or commercial matters is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [58451]
Yvette Cooper: There are two separate committees, one relating to the regulation on the service in the member states of judicial and extrajudicial documents and the other relating to the regulation on co-operation between the courts of the member states in the taking of evidence in civil and commercial matters. The former has met once in the last year to provide information to bring the regulation into force. No further meetings have been scheduled. The UK was represented by an official from the Lord Chancellor's Department and another from the Scottish Executive. The cost of attendance at this meeting was approximately £400. The latter will not meet until after the Regulation applies from 1 January 2004. It will meet only when it is necessary to review the standard forms in the annexe to the regulation. As both committees are responsible only for the implementation of regulations that have already been subject to parliamentary scrutiny there are no plans to change the accountability or transparency of either.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the mandate of the Committee on the jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and in matters of parental responsibility for children of both spouses and on the jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (Brussels I and II) is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [58452]
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Yvette Cooper: The committees which considered the two conventions mentioned (Brussels I and II) concluded their work over a year ago and are no longer in existence. Neither committee met within the last 12 months.
Mortgage Defaults
Chris Ruane: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many court repossessions of homes because of default on mortgages there have been in each of the last 20 years. [58666]
Yvette Cooper: Specific reasons for the instigation of mortgage possession proceedings in the county courts are not collected centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost to the Department. However, for information purposes, figures are provided in the table illustrating the number of possession warrants executed as a percentage of orders made for both mortgage and rent possessions. It is not currently possible to split the warrants executed figure into mortgage and rent components.
| Mortgage and rent possession actions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Possession warrants: | Warrants executed as percentage of: | ||||
| Possession orders made(17) | Issued | Executed | Orders made | Warrants issued | |
| 2001 | 158,857 | 133,500 | 65,620 | 41.3 | 49.2 |
| 2000 | 161,746 | 134,478 | 61,581 | 38.1 | 45.8 |
| 1999 | 171,518 | 136,718 | 68,723 | 40.1 | 50.3 |
| 1998 | 178,291 | 129,961 | 59,701 | 33.5 | 45.9 |
| 1997 | 157,025 | 115,646 | 49,865 | 31.8 | 43.1 |
| 1996 | 159,052 | 111,473 | 48,587 | 30.5 | 43.6 |
| 1995 | 157,857 | 117,301 | 51,096 | 32.4 | 43.6 |
| 1994 | 141,242 | 115,688 | 49,222 | 34.8 | 42.5 |
| 1993 | 188,007 | 124,271 | 51,333 | 27.3 | 41.3 |
| 1992 | 223,839 | 124,211 | 62,439 | 27.9 | 50.3 |
| 1991 | 237,918 | 133,101 | 61,139 | 25.7 | 45.9 |
| 1990 | 216,288 | 106,980 | 41,799 | 19.3 | 39.1 |
| 1989 | 164,843 | 85,310 | 29,287 | 17.8 | 34.3 |
| 1988 | 117,879 | 70,121 | 28,588 | 24.3 | 40.8 |
| 1987 | 101,340 | 66,813 | 30,092 | 29.7 | 45.0 |
| 1986 | 91,091 | 59,971 | 30,302 | 33.3 | 50.5 |
| 1985 | 82,516 | 53,172 | 26,116 | 31.6 | 49.1 |
| 1984 | 79,917 | 49,563 | 23,934 | 29.9 | 48.3 |
| 1983 | 87,748 | 45,817 | 20,373 | 23.2 | 44.5 |
| 1982 | 106,555 | 50,711 | 20,951 | 19.7 | 41.3 |
(17) Includes suspended orders
Funding (Luton, South)
Margaret Moran: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what moneys have been provided (a) directly and (b) via agencies for which the Department has responsibility to the Luton, South constituency since 1997. [58593]
Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Land Sales
Mr. Luff: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the land that her Department is (a) offering for sale and (b) plans to offer in the next 12 months, giving its (i) location and (ii) size. [59061]
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Yvette Cooper: The Lord Chancellor's Department currently has (a) no land which is offered for sale and (b) no plans to offer any land for sale in the next 12 months.
Celebrations
Tim Loughton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what arrangements her Department has made to celebrate (a) St Patrick's Day, (b) St George's Day, (c) St Andrew's Day and (d) Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee; and how her Department celebrated St David's Day. [42304]
Yvette Cooper: I apologise for the delay in replying. This was due to an administrative oversight. I refer the hon. Member to the reply the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport gave to the hon. Member for Suffolk, South (Mr. Yeo) in response to his question of 30 January 2002, Official Report, 11 February 2002, columns 58–59W.
The Department flies the Union flag on certain days of the year known as 'named days'. 'Named days' include St David's Day (in Wales), St George's Day (in England), St Andrew's Day (in Scotland), but not St Patrick's Day.
The Union flag was flown on Coronation Day (2 June) as this was a 'named day'.
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